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Special offer. Ars longa: Old and new music for theorbo
Elizabeth Kenny (theorbo)
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2020, Finalist - Instrumental
Kenny lacks neither extensive playing experience in chamber, orchestral or operatic contexts nor a brilliant musical imagination. She brings both to bear on these performances of ‘old and new...
Special offer. Ars longa: Old and new music for theorbo
Elizabeth Kenny (theorbo)
Purchase product
Awards:
-
BBC Music Magazine Awards, 2020, Finalist - Instrumental
Kenny lacks neither extensive playing experience in chamber, orchestral or operatic contexts nor a brilliant musical imagination. She brings both to bear on these performances of ‘old and new...
About
Ars longa see theorbo specialist Elizabeth Kenny perform a typically inventive recital of diverse repertoire spanning five centuries. • The theorbo’s eccentric appearance and tuning belies its expressive and delicate qualities; its versatility extends to beautiful melodies, experimental harmonies and a wonderfully resonant bass.
• The recital takes the listener from the early avant-garde repertoire for the instrument of Kapsperger and Piccinini to the new and imaginative sounds explored by today’s composers.
• Taken from his 2011 work Since it was the day of Preparation … James MacMillan’s motet is a haunting and melancholy piece in which the theorbo acts as an emblem of human fragility and sadness.
• Benjamin Oliver wrote Extending from the inside specifically for Kenny, who relishes the unique challenge of combining elements of funk guitar with Baroque tradition in this premiere recording.
• The second premiere recording is Nico Muhly’s Berceuse, also inspired by Kenny; it exploits the unconventional tuning system and expressive possibilities of the theorbo to powerful effect.
Contents and tracklist
Spotlight on this release
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Elizabeth Kenny on Old and New Music for Theorbo
The theorbo-player and lutenist talks to David about her solo album Ars longa, released on Linn last month, which includes music by Kapsberger, Piccinini and Robert de Visée as well as new commissions from Benjamin Oliver and Nico Muhly.
Awards and reviews
August 2019
Kenny lacks neither extensive playing experience in chamber, orchestral or operatic contexts nor a brilliant musical imagination. She brings both to bear on these performances of ‘old and new music’…She beautifully combines an expansive orchestral conception with an almost painful improvisatory intimacy. It’s just lovely.
7th July 2019
James MacMillan’s devout Motet 1 (from Since it was the day of Preparation), Benjamin Oliver’s rather grittier Extending from the inside and Nico Muhly’s colourful Berceuse, with seven variations, make for excellent contrast and complement. Kenny’s playing is, as usual, sublime.
2nd June 2019
She frames the premieres with toccatas that sound like improvisations, hypnotic chaconnes that weave around repeated bass lines, and Robert de Visée’s lovely tribute to his fellow Frenchman, Les Sylvains de Mr Couperin.
